The Basement
by fluteskickbrass
Summary: Postep for Undercover. I seriously tried to restrain myself. The first chapter is basically straight from the ep. EO hopefully Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Ok, so I tried to restrain myself from writing this until I was done with Bruised, but alas… the episode was too damn intense for me to hold off for more than 3 days. It seriously just poured out of my fingertips.** **ANNNND... then, I sent it to some people and forgot to upload it... oops!! I wrote this while I was still at college and now I'm home... so now, you can see the time difference. **

**For the most part of this chapter, it's based directly off of the episode, I just put the images into words. So there are HUGE spoilers for the episode "Undercover". If you haven't seen it yet, look away and find some way to watch it… THEN come back and read this. **

**Please, read and review!!ff**

**Disclaimer: Most of the first chapter is based directly off of the episode, so the writers get that credit… the bit at the end though, that's mine… well, the situation is… sorta… the characters aren't, they belong to Dick Wolf. **

"Request backup in the mess," Parker yelled into his radio, trying to gain some control in the mayhem that had just broke out in the mess hall.

The next thing she knew, Olivia was getting well acquainted with the cold metal surface of the table that she had just been sitting at as the sleazy corrections officer handcuffed her wrists behind her back.

After everything had calmed down, Parker was still holding Olivia's face down on the table.

"Who started this?" Captain Harris asked, finally finding the guts to come out from behind the protective glass after the riot had broken out.

Olivia grunted as she was roughly pulled up. "This one," Parker informed his Captain.

"Ok. Looks like you're going to the hole," he told her taking her forearm in his grip and leading her out of the mess hall.

He led her down a maze of hallways until they came across a staircase. "You're gonna go down, now, bitch," he muttered viciously in her ear as he pushed her towards the staircase.

She almost fell from the force, but fortunately for her, he grabbed her arm again, preventing her from tumbling down the dark, metal stairs.

"The hole is over in C-block, what are we doing down here?" she asked, trying to cover the quiver in her voice.

"Shut up," he said, cutting her off.

There were no lights and no way for her to see where he was leading her. She knew full well what he had brought her down here for, but she couldn't bring herself to believe that she was about to become a victim.

She tried to bargain.

"Captain, I'm sorry, I freaked because of the outbreak, I apologize." She knew what he was going to try to do to her, but it hadn't fully sunken in. All she knew was that she needed to get out of that basement and run like hell far away from that place.

They came upon a lit storage cage. She looked at her captor in the dim light, the shadows playing off of his face making him seem more intimidating than he already was.

"Oh, we're way past apologies, now. Now, shut up and do what you're told," he pointed her in the direction of the storage cage.

She gasped when she saw the mattress, the realization finally sinking in of what was about to happen to her. It scared her shitless.

"No," came her barely audible plea. "What do you want?" she asked, hoping that it wasn't what she knew it was.

"What every guy wants." He grabbed her by the chin and she tried to turn her face away from his but he roughly jerked her face forward, ignoring her silent plea. He brought her face forcefully to his and leaned in as close as he could. "And you're going to give it to me."

She whimpered in fear as he nuzzled her neck and she stared in horror at the ratty, old mattress that was likely to seal her doom. She was trying to distance herself as he licked her neck from her collarbone up to her ear.

"Let's not waste time," he told her as he threw her shivering form onto the lumpy mattress.

She quickly tried to turn over to run away, but he got on top of her, straddling her legs, easily subduing her as she kicked, trying to get him off of her.

"Get off me! HELP!" she screamed as loud as she could, praying her cries would be heard.

He only chuckled as he unhooked his radio from his uniform. "Keep screaming, no one can hear you." He got off of her to undo his pants.

She twisted and got up. She tried to make a run for it, but he was faster, easily pinning her against the wall.

"You must like it rough… yeah, you like it like that?" he taunted, once again grabbing her chin, holding her in place.

"Please, don't," she begged. "Please, don't."

"I'm gonna take my time with you."

"Please, don't," she gasped over and over. "Please, don't!!" she exclaimed as he crushed his mouth to hers. "HELP!" she cried out as he once again threw her forcefully to the makeshift bed.

He unsnapped his holster and yanked her up, lifting her as she kicked out with both legs screaming. He shoved her face-first against the wall, pressing his body to hers. "Shut up," he growled in her ear.

"HELP ME! HELLLP!!" she cried out in fear, feeling his erection as he ground it into her backside.

He laughed sickeningly, "Yeah," he muttered, grinding into her and pressing her more forcefully against the wall in front of them.

"HEEEEEEEELLLLP!!" she screamed as loud as she could.

"Let's get you more comfortable." He undid the cuffs that were preventing her from using her arms.

_Thank God!_ she thought, finally seeing a ray of hope in the dark basement. As soon as one of her arms were free, she elbowed him in the face, using her momentum to turn around and punch him, the handcuffs still around her right wrist cutting his cheek.

He fell to the mattress with a grunt and she used the chance to run out of the cage as fast as she could.

"You little bitch," he uttered under his breath as he leisurely stood and picked up his flashlight and night-stick. "There's no way out."

Olivia ran into a random cage and hid behind some boxes as she tried to control her frantic breathing.

She jumped and nearly screamed when she heard the distinct sound of Harris's night-stick hitting the wire cage as he dragged it across trying to intimidate her into giving away her hiding place.

"You wanna play games? Huh? Good. Cuz I know 'em all," she heard his low voice cut through the darkness. "You have two choices: come out now and make it up to me," he kicked chairs over very close to her hiding place, causing her to gasp. "… or, I could tell them that you tried to escape, and I had to use necessary force, and you wound up dead." He swung his arm down smashing a wooden crate in anger.

"The longer I have to wait… the harder it's gunna be," he warned, smashing more crates in the cage behind her. "You wanna play hide and seek?" came his gravelly voice. "Ok, when I find you, you're it."

He kicked over the plastic bins that had been her cover. He pointed his flashlight at her. "Hello."

She gasped at the sudden blinding light. "Guess who's ass is mine, now?" he said as he stalked towards her.

She sighed, resigned to her fate. "Ok… Ok, you win," she told him holding her hands in the air. She slowly raised herself up

"That's more like it," he said in what she figured was what he thought was his seductive voice. "C'mere," he commanded, motioning with his head, keeping the flashlight trained in her eyes.

"Ok," she breathed. "Easy," she whispered, trying to placate him.

"Don't worry," he assured her.

Without warning, he swung his night-stick, connecting with her lower abdomen, causing her to scream out in pain.

She doubled-over, holding the place where he struck her, only to tumble forward when he hit her in the back of the knees, making them buckle. She let go of her stomach to catch herself as her knees hit the ground with an crack like a whip.

"That's to let you know who's in charge."

She chose her moment carefully, waiting for him to come up behind her. She put all of her strength into the blow as she elbowed him in the groin and quickly scrambled to get away from her pursuer.

She ran to the nearest door and tried the handle, only to find it locked. "HELP!" she screamed out again. "HELP ME!" She pounded on the door.

"HELP ME!" she yelled into the door. She heard a noise behind her and turned only to be knocked into the door when Harris punched her, momentarily dazing her.

"No!" she whimpered, knowing that only a miracle could save her now.

He grabbed her right arm, lifting it so he could use the handcuff already clasped onto her wrist and used the free cuff to lock her to the door, preventing any chance of running away from him again.

"Nooooo!" she moaned through her tears.

"Shut up!"

"NOO!!" she screamed as she tried to dislodge herself from his vise-like grasp.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!!" she cried, trying to wrestle her way out of the bonds.

He backed up to undo his pants. "You bite me, and you're dead," he growled menacingly.

She whimpered as he stroked himself to full hardness right in front of her face.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from the monster, crying as she watched in fear as it enlarged. She sobbed as she noticed the large mole on the side of his penis.

"NO! NOO!!" she cried out as he grabbed both sides of her face drawing her towards his erection.

Neither of them heard the keys scraping in the lock.

"LET HER GO, NOW!"

Harris spun around, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" he spat at Fin.

"POLICE! MOVE AWAY FROM HER! MOVE AWAY!" Fin yelled brandishing his badge and pointing his night-stick as he ran towards the scum.

"She's trying to escape!" Harris tried to explain.

"And you had to drop your pants to stop her?" Fin asked rhetorically placing the crook of the night-stick at Harris's neck.

Olivia sobbed out, gasping for breath as she pulled herself up. "Lowell Harris, you are under arrest for raping Ashley Tyler."

"And for the attempted murder of a police officer," her savior finished for her.

Harris looked at her incredulously. "You're a cop?" He couldn't believe it.

She panted, still trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. "Who's the bitch, now?" she asked. Fin tossed Olivia his keys to her handcuffs, not taking his eyes off of the man in front of him. She quickly uncuffed herself and followed as Fin dragged Harris up the stairs.

They found the nearest empty cell and locked him in it, taking his keys, cell, and anything he could use as a weapon from him. They left him in there still handcuffed.

"You can't do this to me! I'm a Captain!!" he yelled after them.

Fin met her outside the cell block. "God, Liv, what did he do to you?" he gasped taking in her beaten appearance.

She just looked at him blankly.

"C'mon, let's get you to the infirmary," he offered as he helped support her after locking the cell block again.

She looked back and read the door. 'Cell Block D'. The cell block that had been quarantined. She smiled to herself. He wasn't going to be getting out of there until someone came to escort him out.

After all of the insanity in the basement, the next two hours flew by her unnoticed. One moment, she was thanking God that Fin had got to them in time and wishing that she had her partner, the next, the one man she needed to see was in front of her, worry in his expressive eyes.

"Liv- oh, my God!" he exclaimed as he ran to her.

She stood up, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"Elliot…?"

"Liv!" he gasped and engulfed her in his arms.

She gasped in pain as his kind gesture put pressure on her sore body.

"What?" he asked incredulously. He had yet to see the damage that had been done to her.

"Nothing, it's just…" she gestured to her bruised body.

His eyes travelled up her hospital gown clad figure. "Oh, my God, Liv," he whispered in horror at what had been done to her.

"I'm okay, El… really, I'm… I'm fi-" she stopped as she swayed forward.

Elliot caught her as her knees gave out. "C'mon, Liv, we have to get you to the hospital."

She blinked hard in an attempt to clear her head and stop the room from spinning. "Elliot, I told you, I'm fine… I just need to close this case and get justice for Risa and Ashley."

He knew she wasn't going to agree to going to the hospital until she put a needle in the bastard's arm. "Ok, fine. But at least let Melinda take a look at you."

She nodded.

"Alright, we're getting you out of here," he told her. "Fin!" he called.

"Yeah?" Fin said coming around the corner with Harris in his custody.

"We good to go?"

Fin nodded. "I'll take this scumbag back to the house. Liv, you good with Elliot?"

She stared at the man who hurt her. "Yeah, thanks, Fin. I'll be there to interrogate as soon as I can," she said looking Harris directly in the eyes, letting him know that she wasn't intimidated by him.

Fin nodded and dragged the man away before Harris had a chance to say anything.

Once he was out of sight, she sighed and sagged against Elliot's safe warmth.

"What happened down there, Liv?" he asked.

"El- please… just… not right now," she sighed.

"Fine, but you need to talk about this later," he conceded, knowing that she wouldn't tell him until she was ready.

"I know, let's just get back to the house so I can get him in interrogation."

He knew why she wanted to get Harris into interrogation, but he had feeling that confronting Harris so soon would only serve to cause her more pain.

He saw the bruises covering her body. He saw the deadened look in her eyes when he first came in. Even now, as he softly pulled her into his arms, careful not to put too much pressure on her bruised arms, he could fear her shaking.

"Liv… I… I'm glad you're safe," he whispered into her hair.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I'm baaaaaaaaaack! Muahahah! Wow, I'm on a roll! First, I finish and update Bruised, now, I'm updating ANOTHER story not a day later?? Cah-RAZAY! (yeah, I know I'm sweet like that.)**

**Disclaimer: Pooey. They don't belong to me.**

"_What happened down there, Liv?" he asked._

"_El- please… just… not right now," she sighed._

"_Fine, but you need to talk about this later," he conceded, knowing that she wouldn't tell him until she was ready._

"_I know, let's just get back to the house so I can get him in interrogation."_

_He knew why she wanted to get Harris into interrogation, but he had feeling that confronting Harris so soon would only serve to cause her more pain. _

_He saw the bruises covering her body. He saw the deadened look in her eyes when he first came in. Even now, as he softly pulled her into his arms, careful not to put too much pressure on her bruised arms, he could fear her shaking._

"_Liv… I… I'm glad you're safe," he whispered into her hair._

_Bullpen of_ _Manhattan SVU a few hours later._

Olivia was pissed. Infuriated! How could they let him go? She was staring at the picture of the man who had caused her so much pain and fear with such intensity that she didn't hear her partner's approach.

He slowly came up behind her in the empty squad room. "You okay?" he asked softly.

_No._ "Yeah, uh, what are you still doing here?" Olivia rubbed the back of her neck as if to rub away her lie to her best friend.

Elliot leaned on her desk and sighed. "Avoiding diaper duty," he said trying to lighten the dreary mood the woman he loved was in.

He was awarded with a half hearted chuckle.

"Ya need a lift?" he asked, hoping she would accept so he could talk to her more about what happened with Harris.

"Uh, no, thanks, I'm gunna stay a while," she declined. She tried to wipe the sleep out of her eye and brushed her bangs from her face.

"You'll get Harris." _I know you will, Liv, that's why you're my hero._

"For excessive force at best," she muttered, still not meeting his eyes for fear that he would see her pain.

"More likely, he'll be transferred and promoted."

_What? _"Is he already back at work?" Elliot was shocked that they would let someone accused of rape with what should have been enough evidence on him to put him away for a long time back to work in a place where women were easy prey.

She finally met his gaze. "Yeah," she told him before she diverted her eyes again.

In that brief moment, Elliot could see all the emotions raging inside of her. Her eyes were windows into her innermost feelings. He could see how scared she was of Harris; how much he had hurt her. He could see how worried she was that Harris was going to get off.

He watched her even after she looked away. _Shit, I'm going to have to ask her here._

He spoke softly, but deliberately. "What happened in the basement?"

_I only got beat up, felt up, abused, and nearly raped, other than that it was basically just a game… Oh, God… _ Her thoughts brought her back to the night before when Harris was taunting her, saying he knew all the games, saying once he found her, she was 'it'. She remembered how all she wanted was for Elliot to be there with her; to keep her safe; to hold her in his arms

Olivia debated telling him what had happened, but decided against the emotional roller coaster that conversation would bring. She took a shaky breath to calm her nerves. "N-nothing."

_Lies._ "Liv… please, you can't hold this in. Please, talk to me," he wanted to say.

"I'm fine, El."

_No, you're not._

The shrill ringing of the phone on her desk called for her attention. "Detective Benson… Thank you, I'll be right over." She hung up the phone. "Ashley's awake, I gotta go."

With that she grabbed her jacket and quickly made her way out of the squad room and more importantly, away from Elliot. Elliot, the one person who could read her inside and out; the man who she loved enough to bare her soul to if she thought it was safe.

After even that short period of time in that basement, she didn't know if she'd ever feel safe again.

She felt Elliot's eyes following her out of the pen. She felt them well after she had left the hospital after talking to Ashley.

She had everything she needed to put Lowell Harris away for a long time, but she still wouldn't feel safe until she personally threw the only key to his cell door into a meat grinder.

_Much later that night, Olivia Benson's Apartment_

The cold, dark eyes of Lowell Harris pierced through her subconscious, startling her awake.

She sat bolt upright in bed with a gasp. She was drenching in sweat and was breathing hard as if she had just finished a marathon.

She pressed a palm to her racing heart, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"Oh, my God," she breathed out. "Oh, my God."

She did the only thing that came to her mind.

_Elliot Stabler's residence._

He had just laid his head mercifully on the pillow when the sound of his cell phone vibrating on the bedside table kept him awake.

Instead of his usual crisp salutation of his last name, he answered with a groan, not even opening his eyes to check the Caller ID.

When there was no answer on the other side, just heavy breathing. Curious, he checked the screen of his cell. "Olivia Home"

"Liv? Liv, honey? Is that you?" he called into the phone not caring if he woke the whole damn neighborhood let alone his own wife.

"…El… El, could you come over please?" came her tearful plea.

He had already thrown on his sweatpants and a t-shirt uncaring of their state of questionable cleanliness. "I'm on my way, sweetheart. I'll be there soon."

"El?" he heard Kathy call from their upstairs bedroom as he was shutting the front door behind him.

"Liv, baby, I'm going to stay on the phone, is that okay with you?"

He had never heard her sound so scared or so desperate for someone to be with her, and that scared the shit out of him.

"El, I need you, please, hurry," she sobbed into the phone.

He gave no regard to driving legally, and by this point he was already out of his small subdivision and whipping his car onto the bridge connecting Queens to Manhattan. "Liv, I'm on the bridge there is no one in sight, I'll be there in three minutes!" he assured her.

True to his word, he stayed with her on the phone even as he reached her building and double parked, throwing the parking gear, and jumping out of the car running towards the building. He didn't even check to see if his door was shut properly and he could have cared less if it was locked.

Hearing her in such a state of distress caused him to panic slightly. He wasn't used to Hard-ass Benson saying she needed _anything_ even less her admitting that she needed him to be with her.

"Liv, honey, I'm at your door, buzz me in."

He heard the buzz and was in the door flying up the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator before he even finished his sentence.

He literally ran _into _her door. He had tried to grab and turn the handle using his momentum to push the door open, but he found the door locked. His momentum slammed him into the door.

He heard a small scream from the other side of the door. He knocked gently. "Liv? Olivia? It's me, open the door, honey," he said into the wooden barrier.

The few seconds of silence seems like an eternity until he heard the scrape and click of the deadbolt being turned.

She opened the door cautiously, as if uncertain that it was indeed her Elliot. _Her _Elliot.

"Elliot…" she cried out.

His strong arms caught her as she crumbled beneath her sheer emotional strain.

"Oh, God. Elliot…" she cried into his neck as he lifted her high against his chest and carried her over to the couch.

"What's wrong, sweetie? Please, tell me," he asked softly, rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head comfortingly.

"In the … the basement… h-he … and then I… and … if Fin hadn't… he would have- Oh, God, Elliot!" she sobbed brokenly in his arms.

Although she hadn't been able to tell him what happened with Harris in the basement, Elliot knew exactly what she was saying. He understood her perfectly without her saying any words.

He pulled her closer, being careful to not put too much pressure on her bruised body.

"God, Liv… there's got to be something we can use to put him away for the rest of his life."

She sniffed and chuckled. "I have all the evidence we need; I was going to wait till tomorrow to bring it to Casey for a warrant.

Elliot pulled back just enough to look in her bloodshot eyes. "Liv?"

"Please… not right now. Would you… would you just hold me, please? El?" she begged softly.

Elliot tucked her head under his chin again and wrapped his arms around her more tightly. As much as he wanted her to tell him what happened, he knew not to push her. She would tell him when she was ready. For now, he was content to just rock her back and forth as she sobbed herself to sleep in his arms.

"We're going to get the bastard, I promise," he whispered into her short russet tresses. "I promise."

**AN: Please, as always, review. (seriously, I'm content with an "update soon or die!")**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3 (I know, it's a long time coming and I'm terribly sorry for that!)**

**AN: So… for those of you who have been waiting O SO PATIENTLY!! (thanks for that) but haven't checked my profile, go there. I really don't feel like explaining it again (I'm halfway through a self-imposed all-nighter and slightly out of it). 'Nuff about me, how have my lovelies been?**

**Disclaimer: not mine. And this is basically yanked straight from the episode. I'm just adding bits n' pieces where I see fit! And boy, do I see fit!**

"_In the … the basement… h-he … and then I… and … if Fin hadn't… he would have- Oh, God, Elliot!" she sobbed brokenly in his arms. _

_Although she hadn't been able to tell him what happened with Harris in the basement, Elliot knew exactly what she was saying. He understood her perfectly without her saying any words. _

_He pulled her closer, being careful to not put too much pressure on her bruised body._

"_God, Liv… there's got to be something we can use to put him away for the rest of his life."_

_She sniffed and chuckled. "I have all the evidence we need; I was going to wait till tomorrow to bring it to Casey for a warrant. _

_Elliot pulled back just enough to look in her bloodshot eyes. "Liv?"_

"_Please… not right now. Would you… would you just hold me, please? El?" she begged softly._

_Elliot tucked her head under his chin again and wrapped his arms around her more tightly. As much as he wanted her to tell him what happened, he knew not to push her. She would tell him when she was ready. For now, he was content to just rock her back and forth as she sobbed herself to sleep in his arms._

"_We're going to get the bastard, I promise," he whispered into her short russet tresses. "I promise."_

After she cried herself to sleep in his arms, he carried her to her bedroom where he laid her down.

As he turned to leave, he heard a small voice.

"El?"

"Yeah, baby, what is it?"

"Stay with me?" she asked with glassy eyes.

"I'm here as long as you want me," he told her leaving it open for her to want him on a more permanent basis.

Olivia felt warm and comfortable. More importantly, she felt safe and secure.

She stirred, waking slowly from what should have been a hellish night. Instead, she spent it in her partner's arms. The man she loved.

There was something she had to remember… something to do with why he was there…

"El! We need to call Casey!" She reached over to her bedside table and picked up a cell phone. She hit the speed dial for the ADA.

"Hey, Elliot, how's Liv doing?" Casey answered having seen the ID.

_Oops, must have picked up Elliot's cell._

"Casey, this is Liv, I'm fine. We need a warrant…"

Forty-five minutes later Olivia was once again walking down the cell block she had inhabited only recently, only this time, there was a confidence to her stride; a sense of justice hung about her and her partner.

She saw him giving her old cell mate trouble, the scar from where she hit him a stark contrast against the integrity of his uniform.

"Don't worry, Amber, he's gunna get his _own_ cell soon," she called out with a note of confidence she was nowhere near feeling in the presence of her attacker. The only reason she was able to keep her voice from wavering and her stride from faltering was to remember that Elliot was right there with her.

"I've got nothing to say to you. Talk to my lawyer," came his response.

Olivia did her best to cover her fear at the memories that voice brought.

Sensing her nervousness, Elliot spoke up. He knew that the best way to keep Olivia in the here and now was to act as much the hot headed detective as he normally would, to come back with a smart ass comment. "You first, you are gunna need him."

"Warden?" Harris asked hoping for her to absolve him in some way.

She returned his look with one of disgust. "Get him out of my prison."

Elliot's pseudo cocky attitude and the warden's condemnation was all Olivia needed to do what she desperately wanted to do. "Lowell Harris. You are under arrest for rape. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you."

Cheers from all of the surrounding cells began to erupt as she and Elliot escorted Harris out of the building.

Outside, Elliot handed Harris off to a uniform to take to the precinct and turned to Olivia.

"Liv, you ok?"

She took a deep breath before answering him. She considered her options. Tell him the truth, or lie to the man who knew she was going to lie even before she did.

"Scared out of my mind, relieved that that part is over, dreading what's next at the same time…"

"What's next?"

"ME's office."

They brought Harris to Warner who told him to drop his pants and stand in front of a camera.

Melinda was already aware of what was needed for the trial, so she took a picture of Harris' penis.

Throughout the entire process, Olivia had to look away from Harris. She stared blankly at the wall, the floor, anywhere but at the man who had terrorized her, under the façade of affording him some sort of privacy.

Elliot tried to brighten Olivia's mood a bit more by making a jibe at Harris' expense. "Captain, huh? Looks more like a Private to me."

Melinda picked up on Elliot's blatant poke at the bastard's size and decided to make one of her own, albeit a bit more subtle.

"We'll have to enlarge it for the jury, but it's right where Ashlee said it was."

Harris put himself away and Elliot escorted him out of the ME's office.

"See ya in 20 years, Captain," Olivia tried to gloat, but it came out tired and almost scared.

He didn't say a word as he made his way past her.

Melinda waited until her and Olivia were alone before asking. "How did you know to ask Ashlee about the mole?"

_Shit_. "She remembered," Olivia deflected.

"But you couldn't have known she was right."

_Shit. Shit… SHIT!_

Olivia felt her walls begin to crumble a bit, knowing she'd have to explain it eventually. "I saw it… when he had me in the basement."

Deep concern washed over the ME's face. "Olivia… did he rape you?" she asked both as a medical professional who saw this on a daily basis and as a friend.

"… It's the closest I've ever come."

_Closest I've ever come? What's that supposed to mean?_ Elliot had overheard Olivia's soft whisper.

She exited the office.

"Liv, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, El," she said as she brushed past him.

_Okay, I'm going for it._ "Then why do you have tears in your eyes? C'mon, Liv, talk to me… please."

She had continued walking, but at his plea, she stopped with her back to him.

He quickly walked to her. "Liv, please. What happened to you?"

She exhaled a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "He nearly orally sodomized me. Fin stopped him before he had a chance to. He beat me, and cuffed me to a door so I couldn't flee," she told him with absolutely no emotion in her voice.

But he heard the waver as she told him clinically what had happened to her.

"Liv, let's get out of here. You need a break."

He knew she wouldn't be comfortable telling him exactly what had happened to her while she was in a place that they frequented while working. She wanted to keep her emotions separate from her job.

He took her back to her apartment.

"Liv, I know you told me, but you were so clinical, so detached. You know I'm here for you, right? I want to be able to help," he pleaded with his eyes.

Her dark orbs were swimming in unshed tears. He looked in her eyes and saw all the pain Harris had caused her, all the suffering she would still endure.

Finally, all of her walls crumbled as she did into his arms, sobbing.

"Oh, El!"

He listened as she sobbed her story to him. She replayed each blow, each shock of terror that went through her while she was held captive in that dreadful basement. The entire time, he held her, stroked her back, rocked her gently.

When she finished, she had cried all her tears. "… the whole time, I was wishing that you had been there. I was hoping that you'd come save me."

_Oh, God._ "I tried, honey, I did. I wanted to save you so much. No one should go through that, especially you. God, I'm so sorry!" he told her, choking up as well.

"I know, it's not your fault. You have nothing to feel sorry about…"

"God, Liv, don't you get it? I wanted to save you, not just because you're my partner and friend… I wanted to save you because I'm in love with you!" he exclaimed.

_Wait. Did I just say that? What if she doesn't feel the same? What if it is too soon? What if I scared her off?_

She looked at him, shocked. "Elliot, I… I love you, too. So much!" she cried before reaching up and drawing his head towards hers for a kiss.

A month later, Elliot had moved in with Olivia, getting Kathy to finally admit that their marriage had been a sham for more than long enough. Originally, it had been a temporary thing, he was only planning on staying until she could sleep an entire night without a nightmare, but she slept soundly in his arms.

They were sitting in the sedan sipping coffee while waiting for a suspect to come home when Olivia's cell rang.

"S'Casey," she told him nervously.

"Has to be the verdict for Harris," he replied.

"Benson," she answered. "Hey, Case, how'd it go?... I see. Thank you."

"Well?"

"Jury came back in 15 minutes." They both knew that that could either be good or bad.

"And?"

"Guilty on all counts!" she exclaimed, leaning across the center counsel to kiss him. "I've never been so happy about a guilty verdict."

"Thank God!" Elliot replied. "Oh, there's our guy. Let's go!" he told her noticing their suspect past her shoulder.

So they went back to business as usual… with a little something extra waiting for them at the end of a hard day: They had each other.

**AN: and that is it! I finally updated (SORRY!) This was always meant to be a short story. **

**Please Review!! I'll give you a cookie!**

**Oh, and FYI… I didn't even revise this one… so uh… if it sucked… I'm really sorry… I haven't slept in 18 hours and I have another 16 to go before I do. So this'll be fun!**


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